It might be unfair to call Jeremiah Masoli’s 2018 a breakout season after his stellar second half to the 2017 season, but the veteran quarterback finally got the recognition many of his Hamilton Tiger-Cats teammates felt he deserved.

Masoli was named an East Division All-Star and was runner-up for Most Outstanding Player after finishing the season with 5,209 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, while adding another 473 yards on the ground.

Masoli is entering this season with higher expectations, namely joining the elite level of CFL quarterbacks alongside the likes of Bo Levi Mitchell and Mike Reilly. But Masoli said that goal remains secondary to team objectives.

“I just want to be great. Besides that I don’t really care about anything else but winning,” Masoli told reporters during Ticats training camp. “However we have to do it. It doesn’t matter who’s the hero. It doesn’t matter. We just want to win as a team.”

But if Masoli isn’t focused on labels heading into the season, that doesn’t mean his teammates and coaches aren’t either.

“Is that even a question? Who asks that anymore? That’s not a question you ask. You don’t put a question mark on it. Jeremiah is elite. Period,” said linebacker Simoni Lawrence.

“Jeremiah is one of the elite quarterbacks in the CFL, absolutely,” new head coach Orlondo Steinauer agreed.

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Last year, the Ticats rebounded from a tough 2017 to reach their first East Final since 2016. Masoli, the new starting QB, and June Jones, the new head coach, had taken over too late in 2017 to salvage a playoff spot. And while there have been some changes this off-season – new head coach and coordinators – the team says the goal remains the same: extending their season by one game and making the Grey Cup.

“It’s a team sport so everybody has to be on one page. We have new coaches and new expectations here so we get on one page, tell everybody what we expect of each other and then follow the guidelines and buy in,” star receiver Brandon Banks said during training camp.

The coaching staff changes will be mitigated by a sense of familiarity, with Steinauer getting promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach; Tommy Condell returning to offensive coordinator, a role he served during the Ticats’ back-to-back runs to the Grey Cup in 2013 and 2014.

Banks said the team’s veterans can also ease the transition through any growing pains.

“Me personally, I’m definitely going to buy in and try to lead these guys the best way I know how to – on and off the field. We have one common goal, and that’s to win the Grey Cup.”

“We have to trust each other and know that we’re committed to the goal,” Masoli echoed. “Obviously, we all know what the goal is: a championship. And that commitment means we have to do whatever it takes. Sacrifice whatever we have to do to get better every day. And on top of that, finish.”